Thousands venture to area beaches as the unofficial end of summer nears

FORT FISHER, NC (WWAY) — Thousands of visitors are in town for the Labor Day holiday weekend, with many heading to local beaches to enjoy the unofficial end of summer.

Parking was hard to come by at Fort Fisher, with hundreds of people turning out to soak up the sun or take a dip in the ocean.

Despite the crowds, many people say they are just happy to have such a nice day to enjoy the beach.

A Shallotte woman has been coming here since she was a teenager, but says she has noticed the extra people this weekend.

“It was adding time as I was coming here,” visitor Crystal Clancy said. “Usually I can beat my time on the GPS, but it was adding and adding. Like 20 extra minutes from Shallotte to here. Usually takes me an hour, it took me an hour and twenty.”

If you haven’t made it out to the beach yet, tomorrow and Labor Day Monday are shaping up to be beautiful days to head to the coast.